"We are taking great risks and writing in ways that we have never written before," Farrell, 51, says of the bandmembers, who are embracing digital technology -- synths, MIDI, effects, et al. -- for the first time in their 25-year career. "We're producing a really amazing piece of art, an amazing piece of music. It will make people say, 'This is strangely beautiful.'"

How did TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek get involved with the new Jane's Addiction LP?

When Duff McKagan decided he didn't want to work with us anymore, there was a moment of silence. Everyone had gripes, but at the same time, it was a sad time because we were building something together. It's like a sports team, then one guy gets traded or retires or gets injured. But your team has to go on. That's the state we were in.

Dave Navarro was questioned by police for an incident after the Jane's Addiction show in Aspen:

Woman’s story leads to questions for rockstar

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

In closing an investigation into the possible drugging of a woman at a Jane’s Addiction concert in Aspen, police interviewed a car-service driver, security staff at an upscale hotel and the group’s lead guitarist, Dave Navarro.

Police first learned about the incident on Dec. 31, 2010, from the woman’s husband, the day after a Jane’s Addiction show at Belly Up Aspen. After the concert the woman, a 39-year-old New Castle resident, went to Navarro’s hotel room at the Viceroy in Snowmass Village. But she said she had no idea how she ended up there, according to a recently released police report. The Aspen Daily News is not publishing her name because she is considered a victim. The woman has not accused Navarro of any wrongdoing.

She told police she arrived at the concert around 10 p.m. and drank a couple of beers. She put napkins over her drinks to prevent them from being doctored because when she attended the same concert in 2009, she “thought she may have been drugged,” the police report said. She did not report it at the time.

After the recent concert, the woman said “she did not remember leaving the Belly Up, but remembered waking up” at the Viceroy. Police interviewed members of hotel security who said they found her in a hallway alongside vomit.

Navarro talked with Aspen police Officer Rick Magnuson on Jan. 9. The musician is described in the incident report as “a witness to [her] state of being” that night.

Navarro described the woman as a friend whom he had met a year earlier at a concert in Aspen or Denver. He said she called him before the show and they planned to meet afterward.

“Navarro said that he has an ‘interesting friendship’ with [the woman] and added that ‘she is a little unglued,’” according to the police documents. He told police the relationship is platonic and added that she “tends to drink.”

Around 2 a.m. on Dec. 31, she sent him a text: “I’m here, let me come up,” according to his statement to police. “I exercised poor judgment and let her up.”

She was accompanied to his seventh-floor room by the driver of a car service, who police also interviewed.

Both the driver and Navarro said the woman appeared under the influence of alcohol. The musician said he was sober and does not drink.

“He stated that [the victim] was ‘intoxicated beyond belief, I had to throw her out of my room,’” the report said. “Navarro added that [she] was ‘medically or chemically incapacitated.’ ... I asked Navarro if it was possible that [she] was under the influence of another drug besides alcohol and he replied, ‘It was in the realm of possibility.’”

He said she was in his room for about 75 minutes. “It was the low point of my trip,” he told police.

A hotel security guard found the woman in a third-floor hallway, roused her and asked her if she had been attacked or forced to do anything against her will. She told the guard and Aspen police that nothing happened to her physically.

The hotel let her sleep in a suite for a few hours before a guard drove her home to New Castle.

When her husband called police on Dec. 31, 2010, to report the possible drugging, Magnuson stressed that the victim should go to a hospital for blood and urine analysis. She declined to do so.

On Jan. 30, Magnuson told the woman that police do not have a suspect and that the investigation had “reached its logical conclusion, based on current information.”

JANE'S ADDICTION yesterday (April 7) gave its fans the chance to be the first to hear music from "The Great Escape Artist", the band's first new studio album in eight years.

The group's singer Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins are giving away a free download of the final mix of "End To The Lies" exclusively at their web site, www.janesaddiction.com.

"End To The Lies", the new video from JANE'S ADDICTION, can be viewed below.

To direct the clip, the band enlisted the help of ShadowMachine Films (Adult Swim's "Robot Chicken") to create a visually stunning piece of art.

"I'm really happy to work on this video for 'End To The Lies' with Alex [Bulkley of ShadowMachine Films]. He clearly gets what JANE'S ADDICTION is about and the roots of where we came from. We came up in a very artistic community," said guitarist Dave Navarro. "This video encompasses that through merging L.A. streets and street artists with sexuality and the beauty of music. There is no better way to define what this band has always been about."

Well, eventually I knew this day would come… I must admit I never truly thought it would happen so soon! As of now, the days of commenting here are a thing of the past. Now, the reality is that very few people even come here anymore and the overall result is that we won’t be able to hear from about 3 or 4 people. Frankly, it’s not the number of visitors that is the problem. The simple fact is this. For the most part, a vast majority of places online that allow commenting have become either horrible hate fueled centers of stupidity and the practice has become so utterly tired… Usually senseless mean spirited and toxic. There was a time when weeding through a certain amount was tolerable as eventually one might discover a cohesive thought provoking statement that sparked a debate or a discussion. However, now it appears that the problem has gotten SO bad that personally, I can’t allow it here at this site. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good laugh and there used to be some pretty clever and entertaining banter thrown back and forth… Even fueled by hate and rage, it was at least fun to read and at times sarcastically witty to an impressive degree. Somehow, it now feels as though there are fewer clever and intelligent commenters around and the majority of our social commentary comes from absolute morons. Most of it is SO not funny, that it is downright embarrassing. It leaves you to wonder, “How is this person even operating a computer?” I am stunned and saddened when I realize just how many people out there are typical, boring, random and SUPER not funny at all! Where did all the funny and smart comments go away to???

So, I have simply bounced this as an option here. Now message boards are an entirely different issue in my opinion. The boards usually consist of many regulars who have gotten to know each other and understand the personalities on the board. Topic oriented discussion etc… Sure, they can get pretty mean spirited as well but they also have created relationships to a degree where they will call each other out on over the top negativity and argue opinions even share content. Some of the more Social media like Twitter and Facebook will at least give the readers some kind of an idea of who is writing what is being read… Even if its a fake profile, at least we ”think” we know more about who is saying what.

One of the most established bands in music history is Jane’s Addiction. The band has been selling out theaters for more than 25 years. A lot of people credit them for starting the alternative scene with Jane’s Addiction headlining the first ever Lollapalooza. And although Jane’s Addiction has been so influential in music and pop culture, the band will only be releasing their fourth studio album. Dave Navarro recently stopped by to talk about this revolutionary group.

Q – For being around for so long, Jane’s Addiction only released three studio albums. How has the band managed to stay so popular with the release of only three albums?

A - Jane’s Addiction has only put out new music when our hearts were in and when we had something to say creatively. I’m hoping the fans identify with that and stick around because they see that.

Q – The new album, “The Great Escape Artist,” is due out this September 27, the first studio album in eight years. How is this album different from previous Jane’s Addiction albums?

A - This album is different because the band went in a new direction that we haven’t been in before but at the same time there are many familiar threads of where we used to come from. It’s an evolution from where we were but always remembering where we came from.

Q – How has the band evolved from when you guys first came onto the scene in 1985?

A - We have certainly evolved musically and as people and as a collective entity. Musically, we intended to broaden the depth of the music by introducing a new space that we hadn’t experimented with before. It’s an evolution from where we were without forgetting where we came from. Ultimately we are just having a great time doing what we are doing, which is making music and playing it for people.

Q – What’s your best advice for young bands trying to make it in today’s industry?

A - My best advice is to be sure that you love what you’re doing and you believe in what you’re doing because there are no guarantees in this industry, especially in today’s climate, and the only reason we got to where we are at is because we never bent for anyone.